How to Find a Running Group

Moving to a new area is tough. (Ok, that’s an understatement, but all the words I can think of for it would rocket this blog into the PG-13 stratosphere.) It’s lonely, especially if you’re a stay-at-home mom or you work from home. And you’re never sure where to run, if it’s safe, or what.

That’s where a running group comes in. I went from having just a few running buddies (and as far as I could find, zero running groups) to having two running clubs’ worth of people to run with, and it is amazing. Here’s what I did:

I used Google. Seriously, Google: my new town’s name + “running club” resulted in finding a group of people immediately with regularly scheduled runs.

I finally found a use for Facebook beyond cat pictures. New town’s name + running, again, and I immediately found a women’s running group. Actually, it’s a running group of mostly moms, so we all can talk about the struggle. It’s real. And no one will blink twice at my stretch marks, since if it’s above 80 degrees, I’m not wearing a shirt.

The women’s running group, Moms Run This Town, is all over the place. It’s totally free, which is a good thing for cash-strapped ladies who just sunk all their money into a moving truck.

You can also check your local specialty running store (Google town + “running store”). With any luck, they’ll have brochures and notices about group runs and running groups.

There’s another way to look for a running group: Meetup.com. I’m not quite as excited about Meetup because the social network charges people to set up meetups, so the costs will be passed on to you. Plus, a lot of the groups seem inactive, but it’s worth a shot in a pinch.